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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Ipsy Unboxing - August 2014

Now I see why everyone talks about Ipsy shipping taking so looong. Last month I got my first box within a week and I thought that would be normal. Then this month it took only 4 hours to go from coast to coast, then another 17 DAYS just to get here from the west coast. What's the deal, Ipsy? Sorry, but my happiness with your shipping has just taken a nosedive. Now you can go hang out with Birchbox and Julep at the bottom of the list. My flammables from other places arrive within a week so I'm sure the boats don't move that slowly. Something's not right when September spoilers are coming out before I even receive August's bag. Anyway. End rant.

Fun Extras: You can review your products each month to earn ipsyPoints, which can be redeemed for monthly bonus items.

This month's theme is Beauty Schooled. I need to be schooled in beauty. Maybe I'll learn a beauty lesson or two from this month's loot.

I like to be surprised so each month I resist the urge to peek in my glam room to see what I got. There wasn't anything I reeeally wanted from the spoilers, so I'm not wowed or disappointed in what I did receive.

Purple. I guess if I had to choose between mascara and an eye pencil I would've chosen the pencil, but in a different color. I can't pull off purple, but it seems to be a season favorite. Too bad the quiz won't let you specify colors you don't want to receive. This pencil is supposedly creamy and smudgeable (for a little while) to give you the perfect nighttime smoky look. Confession: I really suck at creating a smoky sultry look. Usually I just end up looking like a raccoon. Besides, I don't go out often enough to justify making myself look smoking hot anyway. This will go into the trade pile.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (Sample Value: $6.45)

Alright so I sorta kinda but not really lied. I said I didn't have my eye on any of the spoilers in particular, but truth is I did want to try this dry shampoo. I've never tried a dry shampoo before and ever since I saw it floating around in Birchboxes I became a little curious. Not enough to put it on my wishlist, but still interested. Spraying your hair with this will absorb oil and dirt, leaving it soft and smelling good. I just hope this doesn't make my hair greasy as so many hair products tend to do.

Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion (Sample Value: $7.83)

Okay so this too. I also wanted to try this but not enough to be disappointed if I didn't get it. But here it is! A lot of shimmers make me look like I just fell into a tub of glitter so I wanted to see how this would look in comparison. It's surprisingly very light and subtle. I rubbed some on my fingers and even though this is a pointless picture because you can't see the glitters, they're there. (And because I don't know the first thing about photography and lighting) I actually like this shimmer a lot. It imparts a dewy look but not so much that you look oily and sweaty. That said, I'm not a fan of a dewy face so I'll probably only use this as a body shimmer.

This is a tiny palette sampler, but seeing as how I never finish my eye shadows I have no problem with the small size. (For comparison purposes each color is about the size of a dime.) These are actually very beach-appropriate colors. And all except sea spray are shimmery. Unfortunately, I don't have any swatches for you because while I do think this is a nice quad selection, I already have colors similar to it so I'll be giving this to someone who needs it more.

This is a full sized organic lip balm. I wish I could tell you how well it hydrates and whether it's long-lasting, but it's got ginger in the name and I don't like the smell or taste of ginger root. I love white ginger, but somehow I don't think this is referring to the flowers. I'm already up to neck in lip balms anyway and have even started passing them off to C.

The Bag

I've seen lots of negative reactions to August's bag, but I think the round shape would make it a great pencil case. It's got that cheap plastic-y smell but honestly the smell doesn't bother me at all. It reminds me of all the cutesy Hello Kitty/Sanrio novelties I would go insane over as a kid. The only reason I won't be keeping this is because I hate polka dots. My mom made me wear them one too many times when I was a toddler and I've avoided polka dots ever since. If it were a solid color or even a checkered design I'd keep it.

This month's glam bag totaled about $36. I think the items I received were great picks if it weren't for the colors/flavors. If I'd gotten a brown or blue UD pencil or the vanilla coconut flavored Mongongo lip balm I'd be keeping them. I guess I should also tweak my profile to not get anymore shadows because while I do like them, I already have way more than I need in all the colors I'll ever use. I'm already loving the Manna Kadar shimmer and can't wait to try the dry shampoo.

If you'd like a chance to try makeup you never would've seen yourself spending $$$ on otherwise, use my link to sign up for an account. You almost always get an insanely high valued bag without the hefty price tag. Once you get an account you can skip the wait by posting to Facebook and having a friend subscribe from your link.

Note: Post contains referral links. I was not compensated in any way for this honest review.

4 comments:

Omg, I didnt even know the Mogongo lip balm *had* flavors!! *runs off to check* Yay! I did get Green Orange Ginger!I totally know what you are talking about with the Hello Kitty plastic :) I think the bag is a good shape, too, and good for storing things or giving to nieces, filled with goodies.

Let me know if you can taste the ginger! If not then maybe I'll keep it :) I never thought I had problems as a kid, but now I think I may have been addicted to the cheap plastic smell because it meant Sanrio merchandise was nearby! *sigh* good times.

I know, right? I remember in middle school I had a Pochacco pencil case from Sanrio that looked exactly like this one (well, except for the design). It was my favorite pencil case ever and lasted me three years!